Nathaniel Batts

He often appears as Captain Nathaniel Batts in the records of Norfolk County, Virginia, where his wife owned land by her prior husband, Henry Woodhouse.

"[2] Samuel Stephens (from whom Nathaniel Batts bought the 900 acre parcel), was Governor of North Carolina from 1667 until his death in 1669 and had married Frances Culpepper.

River to ye head of new Begin Creek" was witnessed by George Durant and Richard Batts in September 1660.

[4] Nathaniel presumably was living on this land on July 11, 1662, as indicated by a Northampton County, Virginia record binding "John Vines, Robert Foster, William Foster & Richard Stevens, Joyntly & Severally our Joynt or Several Heirs, Executors or Administrators to pay or cause to be paid to Nathaniel Batts Gent his heirs, Executors, Administrators or Assigns twelve good Cows under nine years old a piece to be delivered in “pascotanch River” [Pascotanck River in North Carolina] at ye house of ye said Nathaniel Batts Gent," which record was witnessed by Richard Foster and Samuel Pricklove.

Samuel Pricklove, witness of the bill, was evidently another early settler in the Roanoke region as evidenced by the March 1, 1661 deed of George Durant, which was recorded in Perquimans County.

Approximately around the time of the preceding bill, on January 28, 1662 (this may have been 1663), "John Curtis of Northampton County in Virginia, Merchant, do acquitt & release Robert Foster of his part of a Bond that he was engaged to Nathaniel Batts Gent.

The Court and Testamentary Business, 1653/4, in Maryland show that "Cornelius Saunders, Carpenter, did sell Nathaniel Batts, Coll.

Yardley's Interpreter, a parcel of sugar amounting by Agreement unto 19’ & of Beaver as by his Note to Richard Foster doth appear."

A carpenter, Robert Bodnam, sometime before the middle of July 1655, was sent "twice to the Southward" where he remained for a total of five months "ffor building a house for Batts to live in and trade with the Indians wch I did doe by Coll.

Surviving records of the case in Norfolk County show that the house was twenty feet square with two rooms and a chimney, for which Bodnam was awarded "One Thousand weight of Tobb and Caske" by the court.

"[7] The Francis Yeardley letter of 1654 describes that "In September last, a young man, a trader for beavers, being bound out to the adjacent parts to trade, by accident his sloop left him; and he, supposing she had gone to Rhoanoke, hired a small boat, and, with one of his company left with him, came to crave my license to go to look after his sloop, and sought some relief of provisions of me; the which granting he set forth with three more in company, one being of my family, the others were my neighbors..." In the letter, Yeardley refers to the voyage as "an ample discovery of South Virginia or Carolina.

"[8] At a Quarter Court held at James City on June 11, 1657 and recorded August 17, 1657 in the Minutes of Quarter Court of Virginia, “The court taking into consideration ye great paines & trouble which Mr. Nathaniell Batts hath taken in the discovery of an Inlett to the Southward, which is likely to be mutch advantagious to the Inhabitants of this Collony; have therefore ordered that ye said Batts be hereby protected from all his creditors within this Country for one year & a day, without any trouble or molestacon upon consideration that the said Batts shall always be ready upon ye Courteous service, & to petition to the next Assembly for Confirmation hereof.

[4][8] Present at this proceeding, were Col. William Claiborne, Col. Thomas Pettus, Lt. Col. Walker, Mr. Nathaniel Bacon, Col. George Read and Col. Abraham Wood and Captain Francis Willis.

The records of Accomack County, Virginia include depositions showing some political disagreement concerning the "Indians in the south," but it is not clear what the circumstances are.

[10] Three days before the depositions in Accomack County, Virginia, the following record appears in Northampton County, Virginia, which references a list of accounts under the heading "An account of ye charge of Nathaniel Batts and his companies apprehending ye 15th of August 1663 by warrant of Coll.

The Court Minutes of New Amsterdam on 3 April 1663, include two entries, seemingly unrelated, but which appear immediately adjacent to one another.

"[12] An epistle addressed by George Fox to some Friends in Virginia in 1673 reads, “I received letters giving me an account of the service some of you had with and amongst the Indian king and his council, and If you go over again to Carolina, you may enquire of Captain Batts [Capt.

[10] A Northumberland County, Virginia record on November 28, 1653, states the "court determined that" the death of George Leicham, marryner, "resulted from the disorderly and abusive drunkenness of Nathanial Batts, Thomas Bell, Peter Delabella, Richard Foundred and Sibilla (the wife of Christopher Jarvis)."

The narratives on Nathaniel Batts living a solitary life on the island and having a close friendship with Kickowanna is not confirmed by review of primary sources.

[1] A court held by the council in September 1694 (The North Carolina Higher-Court Records 1670–1696) reveal that Nathaniel Batts, who was long deceased at the time, had sold land to William Woollard, who had been warned to the contrary to buy it.

The record states that “Your Orators Edward Smithweck and John Smithweck sonnes and heirs of Hugh Smithweck Late of precinct of Chowan deceased Humbly Sheweth That whereas your Orators Father Hugh Smithweck comeing into this County about some 35 yeares since did seat upon a peece of Land in Chowan precinct and from time to time paid quitt rents for it being 416 Acres That sometime about 18 years since one Nathaniel Batts seats downe upon part of the said tract of Land and in some small time after sells his right to his Labour of the said Land where he satt downe to one William Woollard who although often warned to the contrary would buy it That sometime after your Orators Father dyeing your Orator Edward Smithweck did make continuall Claime to the said Land whereon the said Woollard did live and which he bought of the Said Batts aforesaid and your Orators att a Court holden for the precinct of Chowan about some 5 yeares since did there upon the same place make Claime of the said Land and forwarne the said Woollard dyes makeing his widow then knowne by the name of Sarah Woollard his executrix Your Orators sometime after did goe and take peaceable possession of their Lawfull right as being part of their said 416 Acres for which their father [paid] quitt rents for upon which [the] said Sarah Woollard Comences an action of trespass against your Orators and thereupon making Oath herself before the worshipfull Court and Jury that she had lost 80 head of Hoggs of 15 shillings…” The record goes on to say Sarah Woollard married Thomas Gillam and that Hugh Smithweck's claim was for only 370 acres of the said tract.